PEWAUKEE, Wis. — An automated coffee drive-thru is expected to open in Pewaukee by the end of March, according to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Octane Coffee will serve Stone Creek Coffee with robotic equipment at W229 N1400 Westwood Drive. It won't require any regular onsite employees.
So, how does it work? According to the company's website, you will download its mobile ordering app and order your drinks before you leave. The company's system will handle the rest.
"We prepare your drink a minute ahead of your arrival time into the drive-thru lane and your coffee will (be) waiting in the window when you pull up," Octane's website says. "No speaker box to yell into, no waiting for payment to process, and no buttons to push. Just grab your order and keep your morning moving forward!"
Octane Coffee was previously set to open in fall 2021 before pushing the timeline to spring 2022, BizJournal reports. The opening was delayed when Pewaukee determined it would be classified as a business and not a vending machine, which required additional paperwork.
The drive-through broke ground in October 2022, poured concrete in November, and placed the structure in January. It was built within a shipping container.
According to BizJournal, Pewaukee is Octane Coffee's first site, and the company intents to open additional Milwauke-area locations, such as suburban sites along the I-94 corridor.
The technology Octane Coffee uses was built at a facility in Waukesha. CEO Adrian Deasy told the BizJournal the company has had out-of-state offers to buy the automated drive-thru coffee units. However, he wants to make the model "as turnkey as possible" before partnering or franchising with large corporations.
The startup currently has a crew of three people but hopes to hire more as the business grows. In 2021, Octane raised $400,000 from mostly Wisconsin investors, including Stone Creek Coffee founder and managing director Eric Resch.
Train like Team USA on Urban Slope's ski simulators in Pewaukee
By James Groh, Feb. 1, 2023
PEWAUKEE, Wis. — Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need snow to snowboard. All you need is a simulator.
“I can think of two people personally in January," Jared Masters said. "They snowboarded for their first time and by the end of 15 minutes we’re very comfortable snowboarding.”
Masters owns Urban Slopes. It's a ski and snowboard simulator business. Inside his shop at N35W23770 Capitol Dr. in Pewaukee, there are two ski and two snowboard simulators. They are the same ones Team USA uses to train.
The simulators essentially act as one long continuous run. You save time not waiting in a chairlift or dodging people on the slopes.
"(What) you're going to get in three to four hours of running or ski and snowboard turns at Little Swiss, Sunburst, any of those. That’s what 15 minutes here would give you.”
The simulators measure your speed, distance traveled, the number of turns taken, and even the angle of your turns. You can pick from various famous resorts to ski at and a large monitor will show you bombing down the hill.
While the snowboards and skis are smaller than what you are used to, it's a one size fits all deal. It's meant for anyone from the newbie on the mountain to those shredding gnar.
“So whether you’re a 6-year-old skiing or a 70-year-old skiing, the machine will compensate for you.”
It adjusts to your turns, the power of your carving, and your weight.
There is a bit of a learning curve. I have been snowboarding in the mountains of Lake Tahoe for more than 15 years. I still had a bit of a learning curve. I did fall once, but after a few minutes, I got the hang of it. No snow, no snowboard, no problem.
The simulator can mimic different types of terrain too.
"We can add in if he wants conditions for ice. If he wants to do slush conditions which in Wisconsin we’re well used to those," Masters said.
Rates start at $30 for 15 minutes and go up to $50 for 30 minutes and $70 for one hour. They also sell season passes and other packages.
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